13 killed, 11 injured as bus falls into gorge in Uttarakhand

State Disaster Response Force and District Police is on the spot to carry out the rescue operations

NAINITAL: At least 13 people are said to be killed and 11 injured in an accident near Totam village in Almora district after a private bus tumbled down a 150 feet gorge. The accident took place at around 8am on Tuesday morning and the bus was full with passengers. Out of total 13 deceased, only 9 have been identified among which two are women. B Reuka Devi, senior superintendent of police, Almora district told TOI, "We started rescue operation as soon as we got the news of the unfortunate incident this morning. The injured have been admitted to hospital and those who are serious have been referred to the higher center in Haldwani. We are also investigating the incident to find out what went into such a fatal fall for relatively big vehicle."

#SpotVisuals: 13 dead as a bus fell into a gorge in #Uttarakhand's Totam. https://t.co/ociQzKk12C

Teams from district administration and police including State Disaster Response Force are on the spot carrying out the rescue operations. The bus was travelling from Deghat in Almora to Ramnagar in Nainital district.

Within minutes of the fatal fall the locals and passers-by rushed to the spot before the police to help the victims. The passengers received odd injuries including multiple fractures, head injuries, broken ribs, ligaments, dislocated shoulders leaving them bruised and battered all over their bodies. The deceased were identified as- Surekha Kumar (27) from Rajwar, Almora, Manju Devi (35) from Bhikiyasen, Almora, Mukesh Kumar (40), Daulat Mandal (65), Naveen Chandra (40) from Syaldeh, Almora, Rajesh Kumar (42) from Almora, Bhairav Dutt Lohani (35), Hema Devi (42)from Syaldeh, Almora and Bhagat Singh (45), Patthar khola, Almora. Out of 13 injured, five have been referred to Dr Susheela Tiwari Government Medical College and Hospital. Dilip Singh, a resident of the village Kholiye, Almora district and one of the injured being treated in a government hospital in Ramnagar said, "All the passengers came before the bus left for Ramnagar. As we reached Totam, a forceful jerk followed by unexplained chaos terrified us. Before we could understand anything we all were writhing in pain. Many lost their lives. Those who were fortunate survived but the shock still remains."